"Your Turn To Go It Alone" is the latest Pilot release on the Rusted Rail label. After several releases on different labels with little or no information I want to write a little bit about this one as I am very happy with it and those involved. Some people have said that they find the lack of information on Deserted Village related releases frustrating...so here begins my personal demystification...

EMMET ST 1
Recorded on Emmet St in Dublin, a street with much emotional resonance for me. Part of a series of improvised duos with Sean Og, who plays clarinet on this one. I wanted the piano to have a late night Talk Talk feeling to it.

HOLD BACK THE SEA
Recorded in Harold's Cross . Shane adds beautiful chord organ to a very personal song. We played it live a few times and it lends itself well to stretching out...

GET WELL SOON
Recorded in Harold's Cross also. Just myself this time - voice, acoustic guitar and e-bow. Named after a Vincent Gallo / Courteney Cox film I like a lot. This song is very much influenced by Townes Van Zandt. He casts a long shadow...

BECKY CAME BY
Recorded in Ranelagh and finished off in Mullingar. Stephen O'Brien of Holt recorded and played on this one. I added banjo and organ later and Caroline sang with Gavin at the controls. About a wonderful girl I hitched thru wilderness with in Australia.

FIREPLACE ROAD
Recorded in Ranelagh with Stephen on guitar and shakers. Not sure where this came from - the lyrics are a collage of memories...mainly from a time spent living on Long Island near where some of my favourite painters ( De Kooning and Pollock) used to live...and I seem to have developed a weird accent. I like it nonetheless.

YOUR TURN TO GO IT ALONE
Recorded in Harold's Cross in Dublin. The 'brass' section started out as a guide track which I had hummed a few layers of. It reminded us of Roy Harper's 'When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease' so we left it the way it was.

LAST RIDE
Recorded in Ranelagh with Stephen and finished off in Mullingar with Gavin and Caroline. It comes from a dream I had involving walking garden gnomes, talking cats and the mental hospital in Mullingar (a building that figures prominently in several of my songs, including another on this release.) It is possible I was reading Neil Gaiman at the time!

EMMET ST 2
Recorded in the same session as part 1. Sean Og plays flute this time.

WE CAN'T LAST
Recorded in Harold's Cross by Shane and I. Colin Hoye plays wonderfully expressive trumpet. Originally intended to be a prog epic! To these ears it sounds much more like a poor fan's version of A-HA.In a good way. The distorted percussion is a tip of the hat to our good friend Stefan Neville aka Pumice.

THE BARREN GROUND ASSEMBLY
Recorded on Botanic Avenue in what was once Castle Grayskull to those who loved it. A group improvisation featuring pretty much everyone mentioned already alongside Conor Foley and Scott McLaughlin. Brings to mind vast empty plains....refers to a name given to herds of Caribou. Breaks my heart to hear everyone sounding so lost and together at the same time.

So there it is. It is a deeply personal release and I am very happy to have these songs out in the world at last. They mark part of a very creative period for the Pilot and there are several more releases planned soon.

x Dave Colohan